A South Korean activist cuts a portrait of North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il, left, and what protesters say is a portrait of his youngest son Kim Jong Un with a utility knife during a protest in Seoul. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)

(Newser)
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The North Korean military has given Kim Jong-Un its tacit blessing to take over for his father as the country’s dictator. The military elected the younger Kim to serve as a delegate at today’s ruling party meeting, essentially giving him their backing, sources tell the Daily Telegraph. The party then sent out a propaganda notice anointing Kim Jong-Un the “sole successor” to Kim Jong-Il.

The move was widely expected, after North Korean state media hyped today’s party meeting as “historic.” The last time such a meeting was held was in 1980, and the purpose was—you guessed it—to anoint Kim Jong-Il as his father’s successor. Kim Jong-Un is unlikely to take over immediately, however, and analysts expect his uncle to be promoted to serve as his mentor during his early years in power.